


Turtleducks and False Confidence

by torisaurus



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:14:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26241724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torisaurus/pseuds/torisaurus
Summary: Based on a prompt from @write-it-motherfuckers:"I have something to tell you.""Oh? Are you about to profess your undying love for me?""Yes, I am.""Wait, what?"
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 428





	Turtleducks and False Confidence

**Author's Note:**

> Tbh, I just saw a tumblr post and thought it was the perfect time to let these chaotic assholes loose.

Zuko strode through the halls of the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center, moving so quickly that there may as well have been an airbender in the building. Normally, he would take his time and enjoy the work that he and his friends had put into building Republic City, but not today. Nope. Instead, Zuko was practically running through the halls, before his nerves could give out on him.

“Fire Lord Zuko!” Umi, Sokka’s receptionist looked at him in surprise. The two had met before, on Zuko’s various visits to Republic City (and, more specifically, Sokka). The other workers glanced at him with similar curiosity in their eyes. Zuko sighed.

“Hello, Umi.” Agni, who did he have to sell his soul to if he wanted to catch a break today? The young receptionist was nice and all, but she was chatty, and had a pretty good track record of holding him up when really all he wanted to do was talk to Sokka.

“I didn’t know Councilman Sokka was expecting you today?”

“He isn’t. This is kind of a surprise visit.” Zuko was practically bouncing with all of the adrenaline coursing through him. It took all the self control in his body to not tell Umi to just fuck off and let himself in.

“Oh?” Umi looked confused. Sure, Zuko had dropped in unannounced before, but something about this time felt different. Zuko seemed more urgent, like there was something he needed to get off his chest. A smile broke out across Umi’s face as it clicked, and she stared at Zuko with pure glee in her eyes.

“Look, can I go in?” Zuko was growing more and more impatient by the second.

“Oh, um, yes, of course!” Umi said, fumbling to pull herself together a little. Zuko nodded curtly and moved past her, making his way towards the door to Sokka’s office. If she squealed a little as the door closed, well, that was no one’s business but her own, now wasn’t it?

<><><><><><><>

If there was one thing Sokka hadn’t been expecting today, it was Zuko. And yet, when the door of his office slammed open, he immediately knew it could really only be one of three people. And since Aang was at the Southern Air Temple and Toph was at work, that really only left Zuko. As he looked up from his paperwork, he saw his friend of nearly 10 years now, red-faced and more nervous looking than when he had shown up at the Western Air Temple.

“What’s up, Fire Lord Hotman?”

Zuko’s previous expression of nervousness morphed into irritation. Well, irritation is a bit too nice of a word to describe the absolute hatred that Aang’s nickname inspired in the Fire Lord. Sokka smirked. Zuko really just made it too easy sometimes.

They stared each other down for a moment, Sokka’s grin irritating the living hell out of Sokka while simultaneously making him flustered. Oh, right. There was supposed to be a reason for him barging into Sokka’s office unannounced.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Oh?” Sokka leaned forward slightly, propping his head on his hands and looking up at Zuko with bright eyes and a lopsided grin. “Are you about to profess your undying love for me?” He teased, his voice taking on a flirtatious tone.

“Yes, I am.”

Sokka was floored. Okay, not the answer he was expecting. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. And just like that, Sokka’s mind went completely empty as he stuttered, “Wait, what?”

“I, um, well,” Zuko started. His face was bright red, and he rubbed the back of his neck as all the nerve he had arrived with disappeared. “I mean, like, I… kinda… like you?” The way his voice rose in pitch made Zuko’s declaration sound like more of a question.

“What do you mean kinda?” Sokka’s voice was teasing, but the slight waver gave him away. Sokka looked Zuko up and down. The normally composed Fire Lord was a mess—hair falling out of place from its usually neat topknot, face redder than fire itself and… huh. Actually, Zuko was looking pretty hot. No pun intended. Sokka blushed as the thought crossed his mind.

“I, um…” Zuko tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Shit. What the hell was he thinking? Why would he ever assume that Sokka would like him back. Zuko was about ready to retreat. Today has been way too much for him.

Sokka gazed at him with concern, noting the way Zuko’s posture radiated insecurity, and the way his courage seemed to have failed him completely. “You good buddy?” Sokka asked.

Zuko glanced upwards from where he had been trying to use his eyes to burn a hole in the ground. If the spirits were on his side, the ground would open up and swallow him whole. He waited a moment. Nope. Damn, what he wouldn’t give to be an earthbender right now. As golden eyes met bright blue, Zuko opened his mouth once more, desperate to say something, _anything_ , to fix this.

Finally, he seemed to have just given up. “Fuck this,” he huffed. In one swift movement, he strode forward, grabbed Sokka by the shirt, yanked him out of his office chair, and pressed their lips together.

Neither one of them could say for sure how long they stood there like that, just enjoying the feeling of each other and the release of emotions that had been pent up for far too long. But eventually, like all good things, the kiss came to an end. Zuko broke first, placing his forehead against Sokka’s, breathing heavily. Sokka’s eyes remained closed for a moment, his mind still struggling to catch up to the present. Did that really just happen? He opened his eyes and pulled away from Zuko slightly, taking in his red cheeks and adorably mussed hair. Sokka smiled softly.

“So…” Sokka started, “You kinda like me, huh?”

“Shut up.” If possible, Zuko’s face had turned even redder.

“Not until you admit it,” Sokka teased in a sing-song voice.

“Never.” Zuko was trying to keep a straight face, but with each passing second it was getting harder and harder. Agni, why the fuck is this Water Tribe bastard so cute?

Sokka could see that he was winning. “You like me.” He said, grinning widely.

“No,” Zuko denied, shaking his head frantically, trying to regain the last of his quickly fading dignity. “No, I don’t.”

“You sure bud?” Sokka leaned forward. “Cause from where I’m standing you kissed me first.”

Fuck, he was right. “You’re remembering it wrong then.” No, he really wasn’t.

“I just don’t think I am,” Sokka snickered. Spirits, it was too easy.

“Fuck, you’re infuriating.” Zuko gave up, shoulders slumping. Why? Why the fuck? Why was he like this?

“But you love it.” The words slipped out of Sokka’s mouth before he could think about it. The air between them had grown suddenly tense and silent as they looked at each other, both waiting for the other to speak. Surprisingly and yet unsurprisingly, it was Zuko who gave in first, as the brief shock in his eyes morphed into a small smile.

“Yeah. I do,” he said softly.

Sokka reached up slowly, placing a hand on the left side of Zuko’s face, right where his scar was. Without thinking, Zuko leaned into the touch, eyes closing. Sokka breathed in deeply.

“I love you.” The words were spoken with a kind of simple confidence that Zuko could only hope to exude. What it must be like to be so sure of your own emotions. Nevertheless, Zuko opened his eyes to look at him, staring into Sokka’s adoration-filled, blue eyes.

“I love you too.”

<><><><><><><>

All of the force that Zuko had used to break into Sokka’s office was matched by the force Sokka had used to break out of it. “Umi, I’m taking the rest of the day off,” Sokka announced, dragging Zuko by the wrist.

Umi took in their appearances, noting Sokka’s slightly wrinkled clothing and Zuko’s hair that just happened to be significantly messier than when he had arrived. She grinned, trying not to let on how much she already knew.

“I’ll reschedule all your meetings for tomorrow,” she offered helpfully. The others had begun to cluster amongst themselves, ever so subtly gossiping about the state of the two world leaders.

“Thanks, Umi,” Sokka shouted gleefully, already halfway out of the building.

Zuko turned to Umi, feeling guilty for how he had treated her earlier “Um, thank you, Umi.” Her grin grew wider, if that were possible.

“Enjoy the rest of your day!” She exclaimed, her cheery expression never faltering. As the two left the building her bright smile became a knowing smirk. She turned to the rest of her coworkers. “So that’s 50 yuans for me…” They groaned good-naturedly as they all passed over the money to Umi. “So. Who wants to start a new pool on when they’re getting married?”

**Author's Note:**

> Does Zuko have a single brain cell? No.  
> Does Sokka? Also no.  
> Hotel? Trivago.


End file.
